Chutkan jumpstarts Trump Jan. 6 case, signaling aggressive pace
By
Ashley Oliver
August 5, 2024 5:32 pm
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Former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case was put back into the hands of Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday, and within 48 hours, she had made about a half dozen moves to forward the case along.
Chutkan, an Obama appointee, denied two of Trump’s dismissal requests, set a deadline for a joint report, scheduled a hearing for mid-August, and paused two existing deadlines. The rapid revival did nothing to quell concerns from her critics that she was rushing a case that required, in their view, a more methodical approach.
“Criminal cases usually never move this quickly, especially something of this complexity,” Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, told the Washington Examiner.
Chutkan regained jurisdiction over Trump’s case one month after the Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that presidents have some immunity from criminal prosecution. While this is a typical timeline for the high court, it meant Chutkan could see the 119-page ruling but had no ability to act on it until Aug. 2.
When Chutkan finally received the Supreme Court’s order, known as a “mandate,” she jumped almost immediately by setting a scheduling conference for Aug. 16. The judge asked parties to submit a report in anticipation of the conference by Aug. 9. Additionally, she denied a motion to dismiss from Trump, effectively rejecting the former president’s argument that special counsel Jack Smith failed to articulate in his indictment how Trump violated laws.
Hours later, she denied another outstanding request from Trump to toss out his charges, this time shutting down his argument that his case should be dismissed because the indictment was politically motivated.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/3111167/chutkan-jumpstarts-trump-jan-6-case-signaling-aggressive-pace/
